Did the Vikings have a tradition of singing sea shanties?

by marquis_of_chaos

Did they have a tradition of singing music that was specific to seafaring work?

EyeStache

The short answer is probably not in the way you're thinking.

The longer answer is that there was a tradition of poetry being recited and music being played among early medieval Scandinavians, and it is likely that specific groups (whether traders, woodsmen, fishermen, herdsmen, etc.) would have their own favoured metres or tunes. That said, though, none of these are recorded anywhere, so it would just be speculation to say yes or no.